Plants of the Gila Wilderness

Presented in Association with the
Western New Mexico University Department of Natural Sciences

Grimmia anomala Hampe ex Schimp.

Family: Grimmiaceae

Status: Native

Synonyms:
None

Grimmia anomala is extraordinary in the abundant multicellular globular gemmae produced at the leaf tips which are deformed to accomadate them. In addition, it certainly appears as if the lamina cells are papillose, but Hastings and Greven point out in Flora of North America volume 27 on page 248 that they are actually longitudinal ridges on cell walls that resemble papillae.

Thanks to the University of Colorado Herbarium (COLO), Erin Tripp and Dina Clark for permitting us to photograph this specimen.

Please click on an image for a larger file.




Grimmia anomala, collection and ID by W.A. Weber and P. Nelson, Colorado, Routt County, Park Range, Routt National Forest, near Slavonia on granite boulder; photos by Russ Kleinman, Karen Blisard, Kelly Allred, Stacey Anderson & Ron Wittmann



Grimmia anomala, photomicrograph of gemmae on leaf tips at ends of stems, collection and ID by W.A. Weber and P. Nelson, Colorado, Routt County, Park Range, Routt National Forest, near Slavonia on granite boulder; photos by Russ Kleinman, Karen Blisard, Kelly Allred, Stacey Anderson & Ron Wittmann



Grimmia anomala, photomicrograph of gemmae on leaf tips at ends of stems, collection and ID by W.A. Weber and P. Nelson, Colorado, Routt County, Park Range, Routt National Forest, near Slavonia on granite boulder; photos by Russ Kleinman, Karen Blisard, Kelly Allred, Stacey Anderson & Ron Wittmann



Grimmia anomala, photomicrograph of leaf with apical gemmae and deformed tip, collection and ID by W.A. Weber and P. Nelson, Colorado, Routt County, Park Range, Routt National Forest, near Slavonia on granite boulder; photos by Russ Kleinman, Karen Blisard, Kelly Allred, Stacey Anderson & Ron Wittmann



Grimmia anomala, photomicrograph of leaf with deformed tip (gemmae have fallen off), collection and ID by W.A. Weber and P. Nelson, Colorado, Routt County, Park Range, Routt National Forest, near Slavonia on granite boulder; photos by Russ Kleinman, Karen Blisard, Kelly Allred, Stacey Anderson & Ron Wittmann



Grimmia anomala, photomicrograph of leaf apex with apical gemmae and deformed tip, collection and ID by W.A. Weber and P. Nelson, Colorado, Routt County, Park Range, Routt National Forest, near Slavonia on granite boulder; photos by Russ Kleinman, Karen Blisard, Kelly Allred, Stacey Anderson & Ron Wittmann



Grimmia anomala, photomicrograph of gemma, collection and ID by W.A. Weber and P. Nelson, Colorado, Routt County, Park Range, Routt National Forest, near Slavonia on granite boulder; photos by Russ Kleinman, Karen Blisard, Kelly Allred, Stacey Anderson & Ron Wittmann



Grimmia anomala, photomicrograph of leaf cross section, collection and ID by W.A. Weber and P. Nelson, Colorado, Routt County, Park Range, Routt National Forest, near Slavonia on granite boulder; photos by Russ Kleinman, Karen Blisard, Kelly Allred, Stacey Anderson & Ron Wittmann


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